I made a promise to document this entire process from start to finish. But as you can imagine, after surgery I was completely whacked. All kinds of banged up. This was my attempt at recapping how approximately 72 hours went down the day of surgery and the next few days after. This is what you can expect right after a SLAP tear repair.
ENTRY FOUR: December 24, 2013
Friday, December 20, 2013: Three holes, a series of sutures. The labrum is reattached back to the glenoid. Arm is completely numb, I’ve got a catheter in my neck. The operation was only supposed to be 45-minutes. It turned out to be 2 hours. That means there was more work done than expected. I also pissed my pants. I drink tons of water. My arm flopped around out of the sling when I went to pee. It was creepy as hell. It just dangled there as I stood creeped out and confused.
Saturday, December 21, 2013: painful as shit. meds needed. sleep completely sucks. recliner is the best.
Sunday, December 22, 2013: Painful as shit still, but improving, sleep still sucks. Took the catheter out. Feeling in arm slowly comes back.
Monday, December 23rd, 2013: Had my first physical therapy session. I’ll be doing once per week for 2 weeks. It’s all passive range of motion. Basically just stretching with someone else doing the work (therapist).
OTHER FUNNY INSTANCES
Putting on a t-shirt is the most incredible test of patience in the world. Pain pills are the stomach and digestive tracts nemesis. And brushing teeth is a challenge.
Trying to stay positive.
The rehab road ahead.
My dog. And why I pee’d my pants.
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I was really excited to get started on week six. I’ve been progressing along well and now it’s time to finally get into the strength stuff. I also knew I had my rescheduled post-op check in with Dr. Torpey so I was looking forward to hearing his feedback on progress.
He had me put my arms in several positions, lifting it overhead, to the sides, and reaching behind my back. I’m still not to 100% ROM, but everyday does continue to improve. He let me know that the six sutures I had was a lot, and reiterated that fact that my muscular strength really masked the injury’s symptoms before I got the surgery. I was basically lifting and lifting and paddling and paddling, just making things worse without even really feeling it. Kinda crazy. All in all, he feels I’ve made good progress and wants to see me again in four weeks which will be in early March.
Some good news is that I’m also officially able to do some “light” jogging and shorter runs now which is great considering how stir crazy I’ve been. (even though I’m not a huge fan of running.)
I continue to live in my bedroom, stretching daily, and whenever I can, going through all the usual motions. However, this week I did experience a few setbacks. With starting to strength-train I noticed my arm “catching” more often and getting into some kind of spasms. For example, on Tuesday I added very light internal and externals with resistance bands, 2 sets of 15 repetitions each. I’ve also started doing neutral grip lateral raises with 3 lb. dumbbells, and very light machine rows. The internal and externals felt fine, however the lateral raises created some clicking and popping, and the rows took a little while to get used to. The next day in the office my arm froze up on me three times where I had to do hanging arm circles or “pendulums” for a couple minutes. It’s been slightly frustrating, especially considering how many projects have been going on a work on top of not being able to really train. Some days are pretty crazy, I’ll be up at 7AM, work until 7-8PM, I’ll stretch, sometimes even pass out for a couple hours, then up working and then stretching again in the middle of the night, sleeping a few hours then repeat. Not ideal for healing, shit, not ideal for general wellbeing, but I’m a man on a mission and I’m pushing through everyday on all fronts. Gunning for record traffic numbers on MensFitness.com in January, redesigning the website, building Super Bowl coverage, Olympic coverage, launching a Yoga hub, coordinating workout challenge videos, coordinating a major summer transformation program, preparing one of our brand ambassadors for the Ultimate Athlete Games, and preparing for a relaunch of HUMANFITPROJECT.com on the sneak-tip. Wooooooo, that’s a lot. I’ve officially dubbed myself, Sweatpant Man.
This spring and summer I’m going to be bigger, stronger, faster, and smarter. Until next week…
Nothing entirely too eventful happened in week 5 except for continued improvements in my range of motion centimeter by centimeter. I’ve seen some great progress lifting my arm overhead and to the sides both on it’s own and assisted with a golf club, PV pipe or using the wall, however, there’s still a lot of work to go. I’ve basically been going to work, hitting up therapy or going into my room to do all the exercises I need to do. Weekends have basically been the same thing, living in my bedroom, working on Men’s Fitness and HUMANFITPROJECT material, then doing my exercises.
This week the shoulder has been a bit more sore than usual, me and the therapist both agree it’s most likely from being aggressive with the exercises and the ridiculously abnormal cold temperatures don’t help much. I was also scheduled for my 2nd post-op checkup with the surgeon, however, a snowstorm cancelled that. I’ll have an update on that in week 6.
But, I did find out two additional pieces of good news. The first is that this approaching week (6) I’ll be transitioning again out of phase two which was the active assisted range of motion work and will begin very light strengthening. I’ll always continue to work on my range of motion, however, now we’re can start focusing on getting me stronger. The other news is that a new US-based equipment company, HAVYK is going to be sending me several of the their products once I can get even more aggressive in the strength building process. The first product I’ll be receiving is the HAVYKsliders, they basically look like small “dolly’s” for your hands. Under normal circumstances I would use these for advanced versions of pushups and planks for upper body and core strength, but for me, initially I’m going to use these to stretch forward and perform a variety of lightly range of motion movements. MMA legend Bas Rutten even used them to rehab his shoulder. The next will be the HAVYKbar, but I’ll dive into that as I’m further along down the line.
All in all, another positive week, strength training is in sights, range of motion continues to improve, and support is on it’s way.
Guys have been tossing around weights to build mass for quite some time. A lot has changed since back in Arnold’s day, but a lot has also stayed the same. The Standards are bare-bones muscle-building tactics. Straight sets, moderate rest, and traditional exercises.
Week four was another great one. My first therapy session of the week I was officially allowed to no longer use my sling. It seemed as though by week 2-3 I didn’t really need it much, but week 4 really was the clincher. It’s funny, some people in the office don’t even remember I got it done. Either way, pretty awesome feeling to not have to struggle with putting that thing on before and after work over my heavy winter jacket, then walk around with it all day. Good riddance, sling. Week four has also been the start of active-assisted range of motion exercises. Now instead of my therapist moving my arm and shoulder herself, I do a number of different exercises myself to help regain my ranges again. On my first day of therapy I went through a series of 5 or 6 exercises, 1 set with 10 repetitions with 10 second holds. I was also instructed to perform these exercises twice per day on my own. I’d typically do a few movements in the morning before work, a couple movements at the office, then a full routine when I’m home at night. By the second day of therapy that week there was a huge difference in what I was able to do, and how much less painful it was when really pushing the limits a bit. After my second session at therapy I also was given two additional exercises to add to the routine, one is/was a towel stretch behind the back, which has been very challenging, and uncomfortable. The other is to stretch across the body which also has been tough.
All in all, week four has been another positive one. I’m still incredibly hungry and eager to get back to my normal training. I’m told I have three weeks of active-assisted, then when finally move into “strength”. So two more weeks remain of active-assisted. I’m hopeful to have full range of motion by January 31st while also be able to begin running again. And at that point my labrum should be fully reattached to the glenoid. January 21st is my second post-op follow up with my surgeon so we’ll have an update on that in week 5.
It might only be week 3 out of a long process, but I continue to see improves every single day. It’s less and less pain and more and more mobility. I’ve been removing the sling a bit more often to feel like a human being, but I’m still very careful. Rehab has been a bit slow, I’m still in the passive range of motion phase where my therapist Sheela stretches me out herself without me doing anything. The great news is that next week I begin active-assisted range of motion. That means I’ll be moving my arm on my own with some assistance such as a swiss ball, pulleys, and wheels. As simple and back-to-basics as it is, it’s really got me motivated. Everyday I’m positive.
This past week a few other things have been going on. I ended up logging back onto Bodybuilding.com and reordered a number of the different supplements I ordered pre-operation to assist with the recovery process, and believe it or not, the mental state. Some call it the placebo effect, but there certainly is something to be said about having a good routine, waking up, taking your supplements, etc. I think it’s almost like you’re subconsciously reassuring yourself that you love yourself, and that you’re a believer, a dreamer, and strive to make things happen. So I ordered my Elasti-joint, Cissus, Glutamine, Fiber and Branch Chain Aminos and have been religiously taking them along with my multi-v’s, fish oil, and regular protein supplementation.
In terms of my physique and body, I found out I dropped about 10 pounds since the operation, pretty wild. I know I’ve been keeping my diet clean, possibly even eating less (especially peanut butter) so that can contribute to it. I feel and see muscle mass atrophying and my abs fading a bit, but I’m not freaking out, I know I’ll get it back quick.
I also started to look back at some of the things I’ve been documenting along the way and I’m excited to roll it out. Surgery is no easy task, especially one that takes you out of the things you love and live for. My life revolves around my bodyboarding and being in the gym. Missing a season in the water and not being able to train completely sucks, but what makes things great, is that I’m hungrier than ever. I can’t wait to have some serious fitness goals in my face that I want to conquer, I can’t wait to begin producing more fitness content again, and I can’t wait to get back into the water stronger, and more dominating than ever. This experience has been humbling that’s for sure. And it’s sucked, but I’m so incredibly positive and inspired. This needed to happen to me, and it did happen to me, just like all the other events in my life. I’m beginning to learn to jump on opportunities, and not take things for granted.
Time to attack week four. Active-assisted here I come.
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The timing of week two of my recovery came at an interesting time. Last week was New Year’s and we’ve been rolling out our “resolution” content like crazy. And when you read all the other stories out there, you’ll come across all different types of workout programs and diets. I could only imagine how overwhelming its been for people. Well, I happened to be perusing through my Twitter feed and came across something interesting. Researchers at the Lisbon University Institute conducted a study on over 200 subjects for a three week period. Each of the subjects were questioned how important they felt it was for your health to follow daily recommendations for food intake, how they might achieve the daily intake, if they intended on achieving it, and their behaviors. Participants then were to log their food intake for each week. The study found that those who believed in the importance of healthy foods, and had confidence in their ability to follow recommended intake was key to an individuals good intentions, however, consumption turned out to be optimized when the subject had actual strategies in place to combat situations that could undermine their healthy habits. So at the end of the day, planning and strategy beats out having the willpower to succeed. Funny how this directly related to my current situation.
I’ve always been someone with strong will power, and always planned every single thing out. But, I knew that this injury would put me out for a while, and I knew that I need to have a calendar, set specific milestones, and document my journey. I know what I have to do, and what I’ve been having to do, but it’s certainly been optimized by keeping track of everything.
Now back to the injury, I’m continuing to see steady progress. A few small milestones have been keeping me energized and excited. Overall, I haven’t been experiencing as much pain as the days and weeks go by. More and more I’m beginning to naturally use my arm, but still being careful not to lift or pick anything up. A few times I catch myself moving into a position where I stretch and I can feel the tightness and it reminds me. But one really great thing has been sleeping. I’ve finally able to comfortably lay on my bed, type on the computer and fall asleep. The first week I was still waking up at 4AM or some with pain. A few other positive things have been that it’s getting a bit easier to shower, dry off, brush my teeth, and even when I need to lean across my bed to reach my phone or alarm clock, I don’t need to get up now, I can carefully reach across my body. I can even raise my arm up with a water bottle to drink, and sitting at my desk to work and type isn’t as uncomfortable anymore either.
The only thing that’s been sort of messing with me has been my inability to really do any kind of working out. I still can’t run because of the “arm swinging motion”, and even though there’s some research that if you have an injury on one side, you can train the other and it will help reduce atrophy. Seems interesting how the body wants to naturally balance itself out, but I rather not look like Quagmire after his marathon reclusiveness after he discovered the “dirt” you could find on the internet. But overall, I’m feeling good, diet is still super clean, I’ve been loading up on veggies, keeping the carbs and fats down while maintaining my protein intake. Body seems to be losing a bit of muscle and holding a bit more fat, but that’s expected. I’m hopeful that by the end of the month I’ll be able to get three-four good runs and jogs in.
In the meantime, staying positive…
This content was exclusively published on HUMANFITPROJECT.com
I never thought about injuries. I never thought about envietable time limits. This is my first hand account of sensing something was wrong, finding an injury, weighing my options, deciding on next steps, and documenting the physical and emotional road to making a comeback.
I’ve been blessed with a dream of a life, living in a world of activity, adventure, sports and fitness. This was a reminder to never take things for granted. Hard lessons have been learned, acceptance, and deeper level of appreciation slapped in the face.
I’ve made typos in my documentation, and have barely made any edits. This is the story as raw as it gets. I call it #TheIronWill.
ENTRY ONE: Approximately early Fall 2013
Injuries suck. And they suck because they mess with you on so many levels, even more so for athletes. When I recently found out a had a tear in my right shoulder I was completely devastated. Of course, things could always be way worse, but being a competitive person, and a guy who’s life revolves around being in the ocean year-round and weight training– it’s a pretty shitty situation.
How the damage was done
About two years ago there was a large swell that swept up the east coast in December. Some even called it, “Doomsday”, because it was an abnormally large system, and coincidentally, a month or so after Hurricane Sandy. As usual for me, I got prepped the night before, did my yoga [SEE: The 10-Minute Yoga Fix], some stretches, got my board, fins, wetsuit, prepared my food, and I was all set for a full day of surf. That morning, I got up early, same routine, dynamic warmup, stretches…I was good to go.
I remember one wave swinging in that I got into position for. Paddled, was locked in, then went up to the lip to go for air.
This is NOT a photo from the beach that day, but to put things into perspective. It could have looked something like this:
photo: unknown
Everything was executed perfectly, but I knew I tried performing this in shallow conditions, the water was obviously bitter cold, and my muscles were stiff — the impact was going to rough. I tucked my right elbow in and prepared for impact. As predicted, the impact was powerful and I couldn’t stick it. I came back up to the surface slightly frustrated, but felt physically fine, except for some slight whiplash in my neck and tightness on my top of my shoulder… again, this was something I’ve felt before.
After my surf session, I got back into the gym as usual. Everything seemed fine but I did notice a bit more stiffness in the shoulder after a bunch of bench and shoulder presses. I decided to dial it back with less volume and weight. Another week or two passed, and I noticed my strength had gone down, but I figured I was just overtrained. So I decided to take a couple more days off in between workouts, and work around any chest or shoulder exercises, then continue on.
A few months later, I had a trip to Miami in February and went through a CrossFit workout which even involved overhead presses, but I felt strong, there was no irritation, and I thought I was out of the woods. For the most part I trained rather conservatively and was all-good. Then as spring approached, I started to train more outdoors and was combining bodyweight workouts with 5K runs. After one of the workouts which involved: 100 pullups, 100 pushups, 100 kettlebell swings, and 100 toes-to-bar while running a 5K, I noticed my entire right shoulder was very sore again. Later that week, I wanted to test to see if it was a fluke thing, so I tried to lightly bench press, no good. It was very unstable-feeling.
After all these months of dialing back, then picking it back up, then dialing back, I finally decided to go get checked out in July by my orthopedic guy, Dr. Brian Torpey from Professional Orthopedics. Sure enough, an MRI confirmed: SLAP tear. The only lucky thing was, there was no bicep or rotator cuff involvement.
The analysis and head games
SLAP tears really suck. No one is exactly sure how to treat them, and whether surgery is worth it. Most throwing athletes never really return back to their previously level of play. Thank god my baseball career had been over for years. But I knew this would interrupt my surfing, and my weight training. So over the course of July to November I was back and forth on what I wanted to do. In a way, when I backed off with the volume, stopped overhead work and bench pressing, I naturally rehabbed it. Then when I wanted to “step on it” a bit, I noticed more dull pain and soreness after a full day of paddling. But my strength, motivation and head started to play games with me. I couldn’t get over the thought of being injured, knowing I’m injured, but training in a limited capacity. I didn’t like the idea of limited-capacity. But it was a constant back and forth on what to do. Surgery, or no surgery. I even began to sink into a depression. My entire life and purpose for training was to progress and evolve, now I was dealing with being “limited”.
My Options – Non-Surgical Rehab
Some people have asymptomatic tears, and others with more pain. For me it would come and go. Out of all the doctors I spoke with, each quite simply laid it out: you can live with the tear, get back to normal, but not necessarily back to the level in which you want to train at again. And, it could get worse, or it might not.
My Second Option – Surgery/Rehab
Face a long road to recovery, but for the things I enjoy in life, I’d be back to 100% capacity at about three months. Four-six weeks in a sling as the labrum reattaches and heals itself back to the glenoid– only to remove it for range of motion exercises. From there I’m looking at several, several weeks of additional rehab and re-strengthening.
THE DECISION
I’ve opted for the surgery route. Not being able to bench press, do dips, muscle-ups, overhead presses, is just not something I’m willing to accept yet. I’ve bit the bullet, and made it happen.
The week’s takeaway
1. Injuries suck. Do everything in your power to prevent getting hurt. Train smart by warming up, learning proper mechanics, and most importantly, keep the ego in check.
2. When faced with a decision, think things through, but then stick to your guns, don’t second guess yourself. Teetering back and forth will do you no good.
I’m exactly one week post-operation and things seem to be going well. A lot has gone on in the past 7 days, and a lot of quick improves were made, some funny stuff happened, but it’s still a long haul.
ENTRY FOUR: December 27, 2013
I’m able to completely use my hand, type, and bend my elbow without any pain. I do have a dull pain from time to time, and a sharp pain if I move it too quickly. The first couple days I was taking pain pills every 4 hours, and I slowly weaned away to every 6, then 8, now it’s usually only one per day if I really need it. I did this over a course of 3-4 days. I think I tried to stop too soon, but I hated taking the damn things. You can’t go to the bathroom… Terrible.
First session of rehab was on the Monday after surgery, getting stretched out killed, but at the same time it felt really good. My therapist was very impressed with the range of motion. I also had a follow up appointment with the doctor on Friday, he was also impressed with the range of motion of how I looked and felt.
However, it did turn out that the tear was a bit more extensive than originally thought. The doc told me I actually have 6 sutures around the shoulder, and it was progressively getting worse. All of the muscle mass I had surrounding the joint was essentially masking the pain and allowing me to push harder and harder without me knowing I was worsening the injury. Deadlifts, for example, never hurt me to do them, but it was putting tons of strain on the bicep tendon that’s attached to the labrum.
MILESTONES
I filled out some milestones today. Added running to my list at about 4-5 weeks.
This content was exclusively published on HUMANFITPROJECT.com
Going into this I knew I needed a plan, just like I followed training and diet plans, I’ve now needed one that will test me mentally more than anything else before. Depression and feeling “down in the dumps” is was not going to be an option. I’d be back, and contrary to what some less-optimistic on the surgery say, I’d be back stronger.
ENTRY TWO: Approx. Late Nov/Early Dec 2013
I’m 174 lbs, 5% body fat, have a 6 minute mile, a 400+ lb deadlift, and countless other high level PR records. This is definitely not an exciting time going into surgery. I’ll be out of the game for months.
THE POSITIVE OUTLOOK
Become a runner
Focus on work
Give the joints a rest
Detox from supplements
Slightly Change diet
Hit the reset button
It’s a test of what I’m made of
KEY THINGS TO REMEMBER
Rehab, rehab, rehab
Diet/nutrition
Supplementation
Positive attitude
Alternative training and build up weaknesses.
Phase 1 rehab exercises
Rehab supplements
This content has been exclusively published on HUMANFITPROJECT.
